8 points for Summer marketing sizzle

Each year, like clockwork, the summer malaise makes its way into the office. Especially this year when the words “hot and humid” are putting us on edge and/or asleep.

Usual thoughts of ROI, SEO and new marketing initiatives shift to air conditioning (forget the wheel, A/C is the man’s best invention), golf, the beach and family cookouts. But no worry – I have the answer:

ROI: Return on Initiative: While focusing on your beach, take a little time to crunch some number on new initiatives launched since the start of the year. Have they turned into qualified leads or are they sitting stagnant?

Changes in Keyword Profiles: Dust off your web analytics software and put it to good use to analyze the type of keywords that are being used to navigate your site. Compare these results to the key things you’ve heard your qualified leads talk about. Does your search engine presence match this? (Hint: It should)

Leads by Source: Another tool to add to your arsenal: call tracking software. Why? It pumps out valuable data pertaining to where your leads are coming from at a low cost.

Seasonality Trends: Is there a trend in your business more prevalent than sand in your bathing suit? Open your eyes to your environment and analyze what might be the leading source behind these patterns.

Spent vs. Budgeted: Were your areas of overspending worth it? Did under-spending end up costing you overall?

Started Projects that Never Launched: When the cold numbed your hands and the rain soaked your initiative – we were marketing initiatives moved to the back burner. Look past the burgers and brats to the initiatives started and left hanging. Why are they dangling? Revisit them and pick up the thread.

Busted Assumptions: We’ve all heard it before: “When you assume…” but it is an old favorite for a reason: it’s tried and true. Reflect on your assumptions that turned out to be just that.

Ideas & Initiatives: Take advantage of the clearing pattern among office schedules and sit down with your marketing team and pitch your heart out. Now is a great time to put forth that one idea that keeps coming back to you.

Don’t let the summer sun blind you from seeing that these slower months are a great time to play catch up.